The dust is finally settling.
Starling City is beginning to come alive again. The sun begins to kiss long-forgotten streets hidden in the gaps of sprawling skyscrapers. The air no longer rank with the scent of carnage and war.
The last battle for Starling left the city peaceful, but limping. The now former mayor had been exposed for working with multiple crime rings to stay in office. You name it- bribery, embezzlement, elaborate crime setups to make the local government look good. It was only a matter of time until the Masks found out. In a landmark case, it was Laurel Lance herself who sent the ex-mayor and her lackeys to prison. It was one of those rare times that any real justice would happen in the courtroom rather than the streets.
But that was just the beginning. Starling City is now without a mayor. Without a government, really. The whole thing had been corrupt from top to bottom. A political purge was necessary, no, mandatory.
Nominating Oliver Queen wasn't the worst idea; he could finally pursue justice with pen and ink rather than bow and arrow. He could do what both of his parents couldn't. He could make the city proud from the inside out. Diggle asked. Felicity brought it up. Even Thea hung the idea over his head.
The Hood could not be convinced. "I'm fine right where I am."
And he was right. The Masks were a real unit now. Crime was at an all time low and the team was working like a well-oiled machine. You could almost sleep at night knowing that. With a formidable, real team of masks protecting the streets, it was time for a certain someone to finally put the helmet away.
It was a relief. Admittedly, the whole vigilante stint had sent Palmer Industries to a screeching halt. Stocks were plummeting, layoffs were being handed out like candy, internal corruption lurked between each document, each line. Justice came at a price. Ray found himself downsizing his entire life in order to adjust. No more penthouse, no more driver, no more custom-tailored Italian suits. Definitely no helicopter. Just a guy living off of 5th and Lemire living out of the "Big and Tall" section of Men's Wearhouse riding the subway like everyone else.
The corner of Ray's mouth curled into a bittersweet smile as he shut the blast doors one last time, sealing his lab and suit away indefinitely. It's over. The city was in good hands.
For now.
"What are you going to do now that you've won the World Series?" Felicity asked, holding her pen up to Ray's mouth as they made their way outside.
"No Disneyland for me," Ray chuckles, shoving his hands into his pockets. "But a Big Belly Burger would really hit the spot. You in?"
"Do I ever walk away from free food?" Felicity jokes.
"Big Belly Special and extra large fries?" Asks the waitress as she sets down a heaping basket in front of Ray.
"Yes, ma'am," he answers enthusiastically, unfolding a napkin into his lap.
"And a Half Belly, no onions, and parmesan fries for the lady?"
Felicity smiles and nods furiously, staring intensely at her incoming plate.
The waitress absently looks up at the TV behind Ray's shoulder as she tops off their water glasses. Her brows furrow abruptly, "Hey, is that you?" she asks, motioning at the screen.
Ray turns to see his photo on the nightly news.
"Can you turn that up?" Felicity asks, squinting to read the subtitles.
Ray's shoulders tense as he reads the headline "POTENTIAL PICKS FOR STARLING CITY'S NEXT MAYOR."
"You gotta be kidding me," whispers Ray.
Anchor Julie Chen's voice echoes through Big Belly. "Palmer has contributed significant developments to the city's urban planning and school programs, but with Palmer Tech's numbers still plummeting, is he mayor material?"
The entire restaurant slowly turns to look at Ray's gaping expression. The room explodes with whispering voices.
"Mayor, eh?" the waitress laughs as she hands out more napkins, "I could see you in a suit."
"But I just got out of one," Ray whispers as she walks away.